Sports briefs for March 24, 2005

Thursday, March 24, 2005 | 10:33 a.m.

Haslett: Steelers pioneered steroids

New Orleans Saints coach Jim Haslett says he used steroids when he starred as a linebacker in the early 1980s, and claims the Pittsburgh Steelers' use of the drugs during Super Bowl championship seasons in the 1970s brought steroids into vogue around the NFL.

Haslett, the Steelers' defensive coordinator from 1997-99, made the comments Wednesday in Hawaii, site of the league's annual meetings. They were published in Thursday's editions of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Los Angeles Times.

Steelers owner Dan Rooney, who ran the team during the 1970s, denied the Steelers pioneered steroid use in the NFL.

Haslett said he used steroids for one season early in his career.

"It started, really, in Pittsburgh. They got an advantage on a lot of football teams. They were so much stronger (in the) '70s, late '70s, early '80s," Haslett said. "They're the ones who kind of started it."

Rooney rejected Haslett's claims.

"This is totally false when he says it started with the Steelers in the '70s," Rooney told the Post-Gazette. "(Then-coach) Chuck Noll was totally against it. He looked into it, examined it, talked to people. Haslett, maybe it affected his mind."

At least one Steelers player from that era has admitted using steroids. Steve Courson, a part-time starter on Pittsburgh's last Super Bowl title team in 1979, has blamed a heart condition on steroid use. Courson has also said that teammates such as Jack Ham and Jack Lambert adamantly refused to use them.

Haslett estimated half the league's players, and all its linemen, took steroids in the 1980s before they were banned by the league. The league began testing for steroids in 1987.

Gantcheva named player of the week

Freshman Elena Gantcheva earned her first career Mountain West Conference women's tennis player of the week honor Wednesday after going a combined 4-0 in singles and doubles over the weekend.

Wranglers stun Aces

Winger Dan Tudin scored the game-winning goal 2:33 into overtime to lead the visiting Wranglers past the first-place Alaska Aces, 3-2. Goalie Marc Magliarditi made 21 saves for the victory, helping the Wranglers (28-28-8, 64 points) get back to the .500 plateau. Wranglers centers Jason Bonsignore and Jeff Attard also scored in the win.